As a tool for visualising the current situation, we have been using various tools at the manufacturing site, such as a "flow chart of things and information" and "standard work combination table", while devising various tools over the long history.
We use "value stream mapping (VSM)" in the agile world.
I recently learned that Mike Rosa and John Sook came up with the term (VSM).
TPS Kaizen, used as a "flow chart of things and information", has been arbitrarily named VSM.
In addition, Mike Rosa has published a book about Toyota's Kata, a story that has nothing to do with Toyota. Translated books are also available.
Since the flow chart of things and information is a tool to see the production site, it describes which process the production information is instructed to and the order of the processes.
And the most important thing is that the in-process inventory between processes is depicted as stagnation.
If you find this stagnation before looking for a bottleneck, the problem will come to the fore.
In the figure above, the strange pink shape symbolises stagnation.
Kaizenman will investigate the reason for this stagnant product, "Why is this stored here?"
If you want to find a bottleneck, you can find it there.
I couldn't stand it because it was so sloppy.
Five items have been excerpted from the book "Kaizen Journey, Starting with Only One Person and Creating a Team that Crosses the Border" (Satoshi Ichitani and Go Arai), which describes agile. I will write one comment in red.
If you have experienced KAIZEN activities with me, you should have heard the parts written in red so that you can hear an octopus.
Agile has turned TPS into a process kaizen tool with half-hearted knowledge by Mike Rosa and John Sook, so anyone who understands Kaizen will know what's incomplete or wrong. I think it will be.
Since agile is software development, I refrain from commenting on the flow of things, including the above stagnation.
Value stream mapping confirms whether the added value is created in the flow and the product can move toward realisation without delay. When the stagnant part is confirmed, start Kaizen to improve the flow.
In the flow chart of things and information, we divide them into those with added value and those without added value, and Kaizen from those without added value.
Value stream mapping is very different from the runbook. I am writing to find kaizen points, not to visualise the procedure. Rather than spending several months creating it like a procedure manual, it can be rough, so let's write the whole picture in a short time and implement Kaizen to reduce lead time. It's different from the runbook, but it's essential to put it on paper as it is, without any intention. It is called the table (front leopard), and the state of the standard before Kaizen is faithfully written on paper. From the current situation, we will search for problems and Kaizen. Whether or not there is an added value for the customer is the criterion for judging waste.
As Kaizen progresses, bottlenecks on the value stream map begin to move from where they were previously problematic. Another is the bottleneck as the bottleneck changes. Kaizen is repeated. And a lot of waste that has been overlooked within and between processes is revealed. If there is "waste", it is because the process of visualising the current situation and identifying the problem was insufficient. It happens if the correct Kaizen procedure is not taken into consideration. As you can see in the figure above, all the stagnant areas have been identified during the initial visualisation process.
Creating a stage in Kanban begins with making what you are doing visible. The value stream map mentioned in the previous story is helpful. It uses the mapping process for the stage. They can say that Kanban pays attention to the workflow. I think the word Kanban used here is different from TPS Kanban. No further comments. If you use the word Kanban, you should base it on the features of the original sign and add any missing features.
Instead of just throwing work with people in the previous process and the following process, by grasping the whole work, you can shift your interest to how to deliver value to users quickly.
If you want to improve the work throw, you should be able to see the problem only with the above information flow chart. I don't say, "don't take a bird's eye view of the whole thing", but here you can see the problem without doing that.
I'm not doing an agile rough search. Please understand that.
Repeated copying with a copier will result in deterioration. Even digital copies will deteriorate depending on how they are used.
I've heard that John Sook has been with Toyota, but I think he has never experienced KAIZEN.
I'm not going to do that because criticising him doesn't give me anything, but I can do anything Toyota-style Kaizen in software development.
There are many teachers in Japan, including alumni like me. So there are many books out there.
If you think about KAIZEN, please consider it calmly because there are many opportunities to study in Japan rather than learning from deteriorated information overseas.